When it comes to holidays I have to be the most annoying person to be married to because I love me a reason to celebrate. It doesn’t matter if it’s Halloween, Mother’s Day, or the big daddy of the year, my birthday, I expect a certain level of enthusiasm, and, heaven help my husband, engagement.

Sure, we’ve been married for years and have two kids together, but I still want a little Valentine’s Day love. And flowers and candy are fine, but I like my gifts to have a bit more thought behind them (like I said, I am such a pain around the holidays). To make it easier on my husband, and partners everywhere who happen to have married a high-maintenance Valentine lover, I’ve put together nine thoughtful Valentine’s Day gifts for her that are guaranteed to make you feel loved but won’t burn through a lot of cash. Now the only question is how to subtly get it into his inbox…

Before kids, Kara was the sort of gal who backpacked around Europe in heels (true story), rocked tiny hats and really big bows (sometimes at the same time), and liked to think she was always up for an adventure. After kids, she wore yoga pants. Lots and lots of yoga pants. And worked on creating a permanent indent in her couch. She succeeded. In an effort to get her groove back, she started the lifestyle blog Fabulistas, where she features glittery fabulousness for moms and their kids, brings adventure back into her life with the Fun Project, and generally makes other parents feel better about their housekeeping skills. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.